The Sleepover
by jazzybizzle
Summary: Sticks is going to her first sleepover at Amy's house! Against her will, she's forced to learn what it's like to be a girl - and that comes with talking about boys. Great... Multiships!
1. Boys

**Random thought that popped in my head! Might make it into a multichappie if you guys like it ^^**

* * *

><p>"But I - don't - wanna - go!" Sticks struggled against Amy's hold as she was being pulled inside the pink hedgehog's home.<p>

"C'mon, Sticks! It's - only - for - _one - night!"_ Amy strained through gritted teeth; she readjusted her arms and Sticks slipped from her grip in the briefest of seconds. Glomping her made the badger jump, and Sticks gripped onto the doorway as tight as she could.

"You - can't - make - me!"

"Yes - I - can!"

Unfortunately for Sticks, she lost her grip, sending both girls tumbling down on the floor in a heap of limbs. Amy shot up before Sticks could beat her to it, and she closed the door and locked it.

"Sticks, calm down! It's not like I'm imprisoning you!" Amy turned back around to face her friend, hands on her hips. "Stop being so paranoid."

"Telling me to stop being paranoid is like me telling you not to love Sonic. It's not happenin'!" Sticks sat up, staring up at her grumpily.

Amy blushed and cleared her throat. "Fair enough." She held her hand out to her, "Just please give this a chance?"

Sticks sighed._ "Fine."_ She took Amy's hand, and the other girl pulled her to her feet. "But I won't like it."

Amy giggled. "Oh Sticks, you're gonna love it! I promise. Now! Let's get changed into our pj's!"

Sticks made a face. "...Pj's?"

.

"Oh Sticks, you look so cute!"

"Cute? I _hate_ cute!"

Amy shook her head with a smile. "You know what I mean."

And that's when the doorbell rang. Amy went to go answer it, and Sticks braced herself. The first person to come in - and throw herself at Amy in excitement - was a rabbit with a vibrant smile; after her was a curvaceous ivory bat; and finally, a futuristic purple cat. Sticks met them before once, but never got to talk to them. Until now at least.

_Great. Now I have to socialize!_

"Hi, Sticks!" Cream skipped up to her and gave her a warm, friendly hug. Wide-eyed, Sticks looked over Cream's shoulder at Amy; Amy nodded at her in encouragement, and Sticks patted Cream awkwardly on the back.

Thankfully, Rouge and Blaze kept their distance because Amy gave them a fair warning beforehand; but they did smile and wave in Sticks' direction. Sticks was grateful, and managed to wave back not-so-awkwardly.

"It's just you guys, right?" Sticks' gaze cut to Amy briefly. She was only comfortable around the four people she was closest to ( that being Amy, Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles ), and she supposed their other friends were nice; but it took Sticks a while to warm up to people, as hard as she tried.

"Just us, honey. Unless we're not good enough for you," Rouge teased with her hand on her hip.

Amy spoke up before Sticks could. "Who wants pizza?"

.

"Hit me," said Sonic, speaking around his toothpick. Much like Amy, Sonic and Tails were having a little sleepover of their own at their place; Knuckles, Silver, and Shadow were the invites. The boys were sitting in a circle, cards in their hands, looking from one ally to the next. A dozen boxes of pizza were scattered all around them, the majority of them half-empty or empty entirely.

The blue speedster felt a sharp pain in the back of his head, making the toothpick fall out and his face fall forward, nearly hitting the table. Rubbing the back of his head gingerly, he shot daggers in the echidna's direction. "I didn't really mean _hit me_, Knuckles."

Knuckles snickered.

"Knuckles, that wasn't nice," Tails chastised his friend in disapproval.

"Boo _hoo_." Knuckles snorted.

Shadow sighed and put his card down.

"What's so manly about _cards?"_ Silver asked, golden eyes narrowed.

"I dunno. It's supposed to be some kinda pass time." Sonic shrugged.

"Idiotic." Shadow shook his head slowly.

Sonic huffed, squinting at his rival. "Does anything satisfy you?"

"Satisfaction is not in my nature."

"Y-"

_"Okay!_ Why don't we pause on cards and do something else?" Tails interjected before things started flying everywhere, laughing nervously. Mutual hums went around the circle, and Sonic and Shadow were still staring each other down while Tails collected the cards.

"What can we do though?" Silver hugged his knees. "We already ate and I feel like I'm about to explode-"

"Please don't-"

"-_and_ we've done everything in the guy book! Prank calls! Sparring! Cards! What's left?"

"_Girls._"

Every male's head whipped around in Knuckles' direction.

Knuckles coughed, blushing embarrassing. "Or-Or so I've heard."

"We are_ not_ talking about girls, Knux." Sonic snorted. "What are we, a bunch of chicks?"

"No, but Amy's having a sleepover tonight. They might be talking about us," Tails mused as he put the cards away.

"U-Us?" Silver stammered.

Sonic bolted with a start. "Huh?"

"Oh this should be good..." Knuckles chuckled.

"What's wrong with talking about girls?" Silver grinned slyly.

"Yeah, _Sonic_," Knuckles added pointedly.

Sonic's heart was rivaling his speed at this point, and he looked over at Tails for help; what he didn't see, however, was the dark smirk that was twitching Shadow's lips.

"Um..." Tails was at a loss of words too, shooting his best friend a bashful look, mouthing, _'sorry!'_ before he sat back down.

"Shadow! Help a guy out!" Sonic pleaded, desperate to get away from the subject. He was calling on _Shadow_ for help. "You don't wanna talk about _girls_, do ya?"

"I don't wanna be here in the first place." Shadow huffed.

Sonic squinted. "There's the door."

"...But on second thought, I enjoy watching you_ suffer_." The smirk widened.

And the squinting intensified. "I hate you."

"Good." Shadow leaned back, gesturing carelessly. "Please, carry on with the topic I could care less about."

Sonic wheezed in frustration. Knuckles and Silver cackled.

.

Sticks nibbled on her pizza happily. The more she ate, the more comfortable she became. The conversations that went on between the girls were light and teasing, and she watched her new friends interact with Amy. Maybe she could learn a few things from them. So far they have watched movies that Sticks had never heard of - but then again, she didn't get out that much - did hair and makeup - which Sticks was deadset against until Amy convinced her to participate - and Sticks drew the line at nail polish.

And at the moment, they were in the middle of a truth or dare game. Sticks found that she liked this game. A _lot_. She always picked dare, because she wasn't afraid to do anything - within reason of course.

"Sticks, truth or dare!"

"Dare!"

Amy pouted. "You always pick dare!"

"Fine, fine. Truth," said Sticks.

Amy grinned and sat up straighter. "Okay. Is it _true_ that..." She hummed in thought before she smiled - that creepy, girly smile she always had when Sticks knew she was up to something - and spoke up once more, "you like someone?"

Sticks nearly choked on her pizza bread, going wide-eyed for the umpteenth time that night. "_Like?_"

"Yes. _Like_. You do know what that means, do you?" Rouge said smugly, arm over her hip.

Sticks chewed down on her bottom lip, her heart pounding now. "Uhhh-"

"Any guys you think are cute?" Amy rephrased.

The badger fidgeted with her fingers in her lap, shrugging a shoulder and not meeting anyone's eyes. The truth was, she's never really had a crush before; or _liked_ anybody for that matter. Although there was someone that made her heart do the thing whenever he was in the room. Or talked. Or looked in her direction but never_ at_ her. Or breathed heavily when he got impatient - which was a _lot_ -

"Looks like a yes to me," Blaze piped up innocently, suddenly finding her nails very interesting.

"Oh it's definitely a yes. That's why she's not saying anything." Rouge smirked. "That's so cute."

"I am not. Cute!" Sticks screeched. _What was with everyone associating her with cute?!_

"Don't patronize her, Rouge."

"What? Somebody had to say it."

Cream watched Amy and Rouge go back and forth with each other, her face contorted in slight worry; she knew the two would never intentionally hurt each other ( ..._well_ - ).

"- _Anyway_," Rouge gave Amy a pointed look before her gaze landed back on Sticks. "Who is it?"

Sticks gulped.

_**Abort mission!** Abort, abort!_

* * *

><p><strong>Reviews are appreciated! ^^<strong>


	2. Video Chats and Interrogations

**You wish, and you shall receive! 224 views, 14 reviews, 8 faves, and 9 follows? Thanks a bunch!**

**Some of you have already reviewed your guesses for the ships, as well as who Sticks is crushing on. Lemme tell ya, a couple of you guys were almost completely right on with the ships! Hehe, _almost_.**

**So who _does_ Sticks have a crush on? Does _Sticks_ even know?**

**Read on!**

* * *

><p><em>"- <em>Anyway_," Rouge gave Amy a pointed look before her gaze landed back on Sticks. "Who is it?"_

_Sticks gulped._

_Abort mission. Abort, abort!_

"...Who's who?" Sticks squeaked.

"She's gonna be difficult, isn't she?" Rouge looked over at Amy.

"Yep." Amy's lips popped on the 'p'.

Rouge was determined to narrow it down; find out exactly who this _crush_ is. "Is it Tails?"

Sticks shook her head, making a face. They both had a love for building stuff and tinkering on things, and yeah he was pretty cool, but liking Tails seemed too..._weird_. "Nuh uh."

Amy did not miss Cream's sigh of relief.

"Knuckie?"

"Knuckie? Who the heck is Knuckie?"

"Knuckles," Amy answered for her. "Rouge's got a thing for him. _Big time_."

Sticks watched Rouge's lips curve and - was the bat _blushing?_ - thought about it. She got into a lot of stuff with Knuckles, and they _did_ hang out a lot. Sticks _liked_ Knuckles, but she also_ liked_ Sonic and Tails. If that made any sense? "Nah, man."

Rouge hummed her approval. "Then it's down to Shadow and Silver. Unless you count the Chaotix too."

And now Sticks was starting to get super nervous. Were they _really_ making her pick? Her brief time getting to know Team Chaotix actually wasn't so bad; Espio taught her how to throw shurikens, which was fun; she got into pranks with Charmy and they spent most of their time together screaming and running _away_ from Vector. She _liked_ them.

"Okaaaay," Sticks crossed her legs.

"What do you think of Silver, hon?" Rouge pressed.

Sticks, out of her peripheral, saw Blaze shoot daggers in the bat's direction. _Blaze must have the hots for 'em, then_. The badger shrugged her shoulders and answered simply, despite her skyrocketing heartbeat, "He's cool, I guess."

Amy giggled. "Isn't he?"

"Yeah! I mean, he can do that glowy thing and make things move!" Sticks waved her hands around for demonstration, amusing her friends. "And most of the time, it freaks me out! In a good way."

Rouge stared at Sticks for a long time before saying the final name. "Shadow."

Sticks blinked, facial expression going blank just a _tad_ _too fast_. "Who's he?"

.

"Alright, _Mr. Cockypants!_ Since you wanna make _jokes_, I dare you to call Amy right now!" Knuckles smirked as Sonic's grin wiped clean off of his face, clearly taken off-guard. Sonic had been teasing Knuckles about Rouge nonstop...and now was time for some _payback_.

'Cause he knew Sonic never backed down from a challenge.

"Okay!" Sonic threw his arms out before folding them across each other, leaning back against the couch. Everyone stared at him pointedly when he didn't move. "...Oh you meant _now_."

"_Yeeeeaaah," _all of them chorused except Shadow.

Sonic pressed his lips together sheepishly and opened up his laptop, pulling it into his lap. Knuckles and Silver scooted closer, and the blue hedgehog shot them a weirded out look before turning his back to the group.

And then he called Amy.

.

Before Sticks could answer, Amy's laptop beeped. Amy bounced up and padded over to the table, opening the tab to see who was calling to video chat.

And she squealed.

"Sonic's calling! Sonic's calling!"

"Answer it, Pinky!" Rouge nearly leaped to her feet.

"Okay, okay!" _Just be cool. Be. Cool._

Amy smoothed down her messy bun and answered the call.

.

"Hi, Sonic!"

Amy, bubbly as ever, smiled wide at him in greeting. Sonic flashed her a lopsided grin, his company briefly forgotten; she looked kinda cute in her ponytail and pj's and...was she wearing _makeup?_

Sonic didn't know the girly terms but she looked gooooood.

Not that he would, uh, admit that out loud or anything.

"Hey, Amy. What's goin' on?"

"Rouge is interrogating Sticks." Amy rolled her eyes.

Sonic wasn't the only one who suddenly got very interested. "Oh yeah?"

"Yeah, she's tryna find out who she likes."

_"I don't like anyone!"_ Sticks protested from the background.

_"Liar!"_ Rouge's voice rang out.

Sonic rested his cheek in his hand, thoroughly amused. Ah, Sticks. He too began to wonder if the badger was just badgerin', or if she really did have a lil' crush. Amy mirrored him from the other side of the camera, palm in her hand, gaze lidded; their eyes met, both smirking and shaking their heads. But on the inside, butterflies were fluttering around in the pit of their stomachs.

"No luck, I see."

"How could ya tell?"

Sonic laughed.

"So what's up with you? Must've been pretty bored to be calling lil' ol' _me,_" Amy said playfully.

"Ahhh," Sonic resisted the urge to look over his shoulder at the sound of Knuckles and Silver snickering, shrugging a shoulder instead, "maybe I needed to see a pretty face! I-I mean -"

_"HIIIIIIII_, AMY!"

And that's when Silver and Knuckles decided to enter the A and B conversation, their faces pressed up against Sonic's now-annoyed one from either side.

"We thought we heard you two lovebirds over here!" Silver exclaimed.

"U-Uh-?" Amy blushed.

"Is that you, Silver?"

"Blaze! Hey, Blaze!" Silver put his face in the camera, and Sonic shoved his face away.

Amy shut her eyes tight, now feeling a presence around her shoulders. And it wasn't just Blaze. But Rouge and Cream as well.

"Move over!"

"I can't see!"

"Ouch, that was my boob!"

"Sorry..."

"Guys, please!"

It was Tails who spoke this time, now waving his hands in front of the camera. He had pushed the laptop further away from them so they could all be seen, and so the laptop would be out of harms way if a fight broke out between his best friends.

"Everyone, let's...calm down, okay?" he suggested, eyeing the girls warily.

"He's right," Cream said, and from the looks she was trying to readjust Amy's computer as well; she was leaned forward, towards the camera, her gaze trained upwards.

"Hi, Cream," the kitsune added, bashful grin and all.

Her cinnamon eyes focused on him briefly, smiling back. "Hi, Tails."

_"Sonic_ called _me!"_ Amy, somehow forced to the back, managed to squeeze back into the front.

"Yeah, I didn't know calling Amy was a _group_ effort!" Sonic glared.

"Aww, does someone wanna come over here to keep his girlfriend company?" Rouge teased.

"_No_," Sonic deadpanned.

And then he started blushing.

.

Sticks was wondering what all the hype was about - and she probably never will get the hang of technology - so she marched up to the girls and pushed them out of the way, indirectly getting a bit too close for comfort to the camera.

"BOOBS!" Someone shouted from Sonic's end.

.

Sonic and Knuckles slapped Silver upside the head.

.

Sticks leaned back, looking at the screen, then into the camera hole. "What's all the hype about?"

"Hey, Sticks!" Sonic greeted, then looked over his shoulder. "Shadow, come say hi!"

There was a long beat of silence before the girls could see Knuckles reach back and pull Shadow forward, forcing him into the front. Shadow huffed out a flat, _"Hi."_

"Hi, Shadow!" the girls chorused.

Sonic rolled his eyes, grin now present on his face. "See what cha do to them, Shads? You say one word and the girls go crazy!"

"I don't see how that's supposed to make me feel," his darker counterpart's gaze flickered from him to the giggly females he called friends.

And Sticks was trying to see what was so funny. All the guy did was say _hi_.

"Dude, you have very girl wrapped around your finger," Knuckles grumbled. "Some guys have all the luck..."

"You're just mad 'cause you don't have the_ hedgehog charm_," Sonic and Silver together. The two then looked at each other and pointed, "Jinx! Double jinx!"

_"Idiots,"_ Shadow hissed.

"Sticks didn't even react to you!" Knuckles guffawed while Sonic and Silver were wrestling in the background.

"Hey, Sticks!" Silver was being pulled back by the quills, making his facial expression all weird and funny looking. "You and Shadow should totally go out! He's single!"

"And will probably _forever_ be single!" Sonic added, and this time Silver knocked him down, both laughing hysterically.

Shadow sighed heavily, and Sticks went pink in the face.

"W-Wait a minute!" Sticks exclaimed. Her face was hot, she could feel everyone's eyes on her, including _his_, and she wished she was a chameleon like Espio so she could disappear forever.

But of course Rouge wanted to make it worse.

"That's it!"

"What's it?" Shadow was not amused.

"Sticks likes _Shadow!_ Of course! It all makes sense...Honey, I wouldn't blame ya-"

"No, no, no, and no!" Sticks waved her arms wildly.

"Guys, she's blushing!" Amy noted in an awed tone.

"I AM NOT BLUSHING! I AM NOT CUTE! AND I. DO. NOT. LIKE. ANYONE!"

_"Sticks."_

Sticks whirled around with a calm exterior, eyes wide, _"Hmmmm?"_

Everyone around them stared.

The person who had caught her attention had been Shadow himself. His expression hadn't changed once, except for the clear irritation he had for the immaturity around him.

"Stop talking."

It was more of a suggestion than anything; from the looks, the more she talked, the worse it ended up on her. Shadow had a point.

"Yuh, 'kay." Sticks scooted back sheepishly.

Amy took a hold of her laptop and smiled at her crush. "Sonikku?"

Sonic became the main focus again, leaning towards the screen intently. "Wassap?"

"The next time we do this, can we..._not_ have company?"

Sonic chuckled and winked at her. "I'm betting on it."

* * *

><p><strong>You think it's the end? After all of your feedback? Of course not! ^-^ Things only get fluffier from here! Click that review button!<strong>


	3. The Intruder

**Have no fear! Chapter 3 is here!**

**I find it amusing that Rouge represents all the Sticks shippers. She _will_ find out who Sticks is crushing on, no matter what it takes!**

**And Sticks just thinks that Rouge's weird. Poor Sticks - in reality, she likes all the boys but she doesn't know which one she _likes_.**

**Eh, you guys'll find out...eventually ;)**

* * *

><p>"Well that was a disaster." Amy closed her laptop shut.<p>

"At least we know who Sticks likes!" Rouge piped up, smirking in the badger's direction. "It's definitely Shadow!"

Sticks rolled her eyes. Sonic and Silver had just been playing around, which she was used to, but the redness in her cheeks was more from embarrassment than anything else. She hated being under pressure.

She supposed she could see what the girls saw in Shadow. Amy told her once that girls have weak spots for that _mysterious_ vibe from boys. And he wasn't bad lookin' either. He was Sonic's twin, other than the fur and the quills...and the scary red eyes...She gulped.

"Rouge..." Amy pinched her temple.

"_Oh come on!_ Don't tell me I was the only one who saw the connection."

"The only_ connection_ was the internet." Blaze gave Sticks' shoulder a squeeze. "If the girl says she doesn't like anybody, then she _probably_ doesn't like anybody."

Sticks gave the girl a thankful look.

"I don't believe that." Rouge folded her arms across her chest. "I think she's lying."

"Ugh, no wonder Knuckles wants to strangle you half the time." Amy got up and padded into the kitchen. Sticks got up to follow her when the doorbell rang.

"Sticks, could you get the door?" Amy asked.

"...Why can't you get it?" said Sticks.

Amy, with her hands in the refrigerator, sighed and closed it. She walked up to the door, looking through the peephole first before squealing a little, and opened it.

For a wild second, Sticks thought that Sonic and the others were at the door, but no. Instead, another girl stood at the door, looking bashful and apologetic. She reminded the badger of Knuckles; she's never seen another echidna before. This one was a peachy color, clad in pajamas with tribal patterns on the shorts, and had deep blue eyes.

"I'm so sorry I'm late, Amy!" the new arrival said. "I had to help the Chaotix settle an argument. As you can see, it took a little while..."

"That's okay, Tikal. I'm glad you made it. Come on in!" Amy grasped the other girl's hand and pulled her inside, closing the door behind them. "Guys, look who's here!"

"Hello, everyone!" the girl called Tikal waved; Rouge and Blaze waved back at her, and Cream went in for the hug. Sticks met Tikal's gaze, and the echidna walked over to her with a little smile on her face. "Hello, my name is Tikal. You must be Sticks, correct? Amy's told me so much about you!"

"O-Oh! Uhh yeah. That's me." Sticks shook Tikal's outstretched hand. Amy had a good judgement of people; she wondered how she was able to make such good friends. These people seemed pretty legit.

"Have I missed anything?" Tikal asked the girls, setting her bag down on the couch.

"Oh yeah! We played truth or dare, then Sonic and the boys called...We still have some pizza left over if you're hungry," said Amy.

"Aw, I wished I would have been here sooner!" Tikal smiled sadly.

"Don't worry, Tikal. You're here now. That's all that matters, right?" Amy reassured her friend.

Tikal hummed, the brief sadness quick to leave her features. "Right."

.

"Hold up - you're tellin' me you came from a chaos emerald?"

Sticks, intrigued, listened to Tikal's every word. She watched her eat pizza, laying down on her stomach with her hands on her cheeks. Tikal smiled down at her, taking a sip of fruit punch before she continued with her story.

"The _Master Emerald_," she corrected the badger patiently. "It's located on Angel Island, where Knuckles lives. If it's broken, my soul is set free - but Chaos is freed as well, and it's my responsibility to keep him contained."

"But...aren't you supposed to be...yanno...?"

"I _could_ be." Tikal nodded. "But after being with everyone and learning about the outside world, I chose to stay with my friends." She looked up as Amy, Cream, Blaze, and Rouge grinned in her direction; she returned it before returning her gaze to the fascinated badger. "Now, I guard the Master Emerald with Knuckles. And when we're not guarding it, the Chaotix is."

"_Ooohhh_," Sticks said.

"Do you have any more questions for me?"

"Yeah, uh..." Sticks' eyes cut to Rouge before she sat up and lowered her voice. "Is Rouge always like this? Yanno...about...boys?"

Tikal's eyes twinkled with amusement. "Yes."

Sticks frowned. "Great..."

Tikal placed her hand over hers. "Don't worry. She's like that with everybody."

"Did she torture you too?"

Tikal giggled. "In a sense."

The badger blushed faintly, freeing her hand to scratch the back of her neck. "Do_ you_...like...anyone?"

The chief's daughter looked off vacantly, lost in her thoughts for a moment. "Yes...I think I might."

Sticks wanted to know. Maybe Tikal can help her understand the whole _crush_ thing.

But Tikal didn't tell her. Instead, she gave the younger girl a soft smile before she brought the cheesy slice of pizza up to her lips.

.

"Amy?"

"Yeah?"

Sticks fumbled with the silky material of her shorts, not meeting the pink hedgehog's curious gaze. This opportunity may not happen ever again; Blaze and Cream were keeping Rouge distracted downstairs. Sticks sat with her best friend on her bed, staring into her lap; cheeks hot. "How did you know you liked Sonic?"

"Uh?" Amy was surprised. Where did this come from? "Why do you ask?"

"J-Just curious."_ So I won't freak out when I start feeling weird_.

"Well..." Amy brushed a loose quill behind her ear. "Sonic and I, we...I met him when I was really young. I heard about him and I was such a fan. I've always wanted to meet him, yanno?" Sticks noticed that she gained that same vacant look that Tikal had earlier. "He...He saved my life. And since then, I've been wanting to stay by his side. I was already crushing on him but...my feelings for him only grew _stronger_.

"Sticks, believe me. When you have feelings for someone..._you'll know_." Green eyes made contact with blue.

"How?" Sticks asked.

Amy smiled softly. "You'll know because...you see him, and your heart feels like it's gonna burst out of your chest! Even _thinking_ about him gives you butterflies. You always want to be near him when he's in the same room. You get a rush just by _being_ with him. Fighting alongside him is one of the best feelings in the world, 'cause you can protect him just as he can protect you too. When he's hurt, you're more protective than ever. When he's sad, you want nothing more than to hug him and kiss him and just..." Amy sighed. "And his voice...his smile...his laughter...brightens up your day, even when you're at your worst."

Sticks' wide eyes met Amy's vibrant ones once more.

"And when he puts his arms around you?" Amy sighed again. "_You're home_."

Amy will never cease to amaze Sticks. She could do nothing but gap at the girl who she could call a sister. Could Sticks really be passionate about someone as Amy was about Sonic?

_Maybe I should start hugging people_, Sticks thought.

The two sat in mutual silence until there was a sudden thunderous crash coming from downstairs, followed by Cream's shrill scream.

"CREAM!" Amy cried, flying off her bed with Sticks in hot pursuit. The duo flew downstairs, skidding into the den with hammer and boomerang drawn.

"Well, well, well!" Eggman cackled from his eggpod. He was encased in a large robot and he had Cream in a steel grip. From the looks of it, he had burst through from the ceiling. "If it isn't Amy Rose and her little friends! Sorry for interrupting."

"Please let our friend go!" Tikal pleaded, always the pacifist, hands clasped in front of her.

"_Or else_," Blaze threatened, lighting her hand up.

Amy and Sticks ran forward, Rouge taking up Amy's other flank.

"What do you want with Cream, Doctor?" Rouge asked skeptically. "You're not being a bad boy again, are you?"

"Always a pleasure, Rouge. But I have _business_ to attend to!" Eggman grinned evilly, and Cream squirmed in the robot's grip. "Ta ta, ladies!"

And with that, he flew out from where he came, Cream's screams ringing through the night.

"Oh no you don't!" Amy shouted, bolting for the door. The girls didn't hesitate to follow her.

.

Eggman growled, pressing a button on his dashboard. Several clawed tentacles popped out of the robot, snapping at their running feet as the girls chased him down the street. Sticks threw her boomerang, but the tentacle she aimed for didn't break.

"Help me! Help me, please!" Cream cried.

"Hold on, Cream!" Amy pushed herself to run faster; she was the fastest out of the six of them, yet she couldn't keep up with the fast robot. She was running out of breath.

Tikal was the next one to fall under the robot's prey. A tentacle nipped her ankle, making her cry out in pain and trip, falling to the concrete; before her head could make contact with the cold earth, she was grabbed and snatched up too.

"Tikal, no!"

Blaze threw fireballs at the tentacles, dodging each attack, but the rebellious metal wouldn't melt or budge.

"Gimme your hands!" Rouge yelled, reaching down for Amy.

"Great thinking, Rouge!" Amy jumped and grasped Rouge's wrists. The ivory bat took the pink hedgehog and whirled around, throwing her hard towards Eggman. The speeding pink ball of energy collided in the robot's side, causing a successful dent that left her dizzy. Eggman cursed, and caught her before she fell to the ground.

"You_ little rat! _I've got you now!"

"Great...thinking..._Rouge_," Amy grumbled through gritted teeth, and the bat avoided the other girl's daggers.

Eggman glared at the remaining three. _Too easy_. "You're next, jungle _freak_."

Stick's breath caught in her throat. Before she, Rouge, or Blaze could do anything, however...

"_HANG ON, AMY!_" a familiar voice boomed.

And that's when Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Shadow, and Silver skidded around the corner, racing for them at top speed with determined looks on their faces.

"Oh no!" Eggman panicked.

Sonic laughed, he and Shadow leaving the others, blue and yellow streaks in their wake. Eggman jammed his fingers into the button that increased the robot's speed, but he realized too late that he couldn't outrun the fastest hedgehogs alive. Together, the two hedgehog rivals caught up instantly, making a large jump; their spin-dashes made contact with the tentacles holding Amy and Tikal swiftly and, just like that, the girls were freed. Eggman's robot plummeted to the ground, knocked off-balance. By then, the others caught up, Knuckles and Silver standing defensively next to Rouge and Blaze.

Sonic landed first, opening his arms just as Amy fell into them. His confident look softened as his gaze locked onto hers, returning her gentle smile with a lopsided grin, setting her down gently. Shadow had grabbed Tikal and put distance between her and Eggman, giving her a careful once-over before he ran back into battle; she watched him with worried eyes and hoped that her friends would come out victorious.

"Sticks! Help me out over here!"

Sticks perked up. Finally! She's given something to do! She ran up to Tails, who was thinking of a way to free Cream without hurting her too much.

"Let's spin dash into the sides here." He pointed, and she nodded. The trapped rabbit trusted her friends, but she instinctively closed her eyes just as yellow and orange balls bounced off of the metal. Luckily, she felt something give and the grip on her lessened. Cream scooted out of the claw, and both Tails and Sticks bent to pull her out by under her arms.

"Are you okay, Cream?" Tails asked.

"I am. Thank you for saving me!" Cream smiled at him sweetly.

Sticks' sensitive ears picked up something faint, but before Tails could ask, she gasped and pushed Tails and Cream to the ground.

"Sticks! Why did you-?"

Eggman regained power, a metallic arm shooting out to grab Sticks and hold her up as if she was a prize that he had won. "Hehehehehehe!" Eggman laughed. "I got you now!"

"Sticks, no!" Amy started for Eggman, only to be held back by Sonic.

"Why did you do that?" Tails cried; Cream looked close to tears.

"Because I didn't want you to get hurt!" Sticks grunted as she tried to break free, but no avail. "Hurry! Get Cream out of here!"

"No! I'm not leaving you behind!" Tails ran up to the robot, and both Sonic and Knuckles had to rush forward to hold him back. "Let her go, Eggman! Or I swear, I'll - I'll -!"

"You'll _what?"_ Eggman taunted.

"Hey!" Sonic stepped in front of Tails; the echidna used his massive arms to hold the struggling kitsune back. "Lotta tough talk for a guy who can't even look at a staircase without getting tired!"

"WHY YOU LITTLE-!"

"I suggest you listen to the fox and let her go." Shadow was the next to step forward, eyes narrowed dangerously despite his calm exterior. "_Before_ it gets ugly."

"And why would I do that, Shadow? You think I'll just bend to your every will?" Eggman scoffed.

His face, however, changed dramatically into a mask of utter fear as Shadow began taking his inhibitor rings off of his wrists at a leisure pace.

"OKay, okay, I'm releasing the feral child!" Eggman exclaimed.

Sticks grinned, gripping the claws just as they unclenched and let herself fall through. Eggman dispatched from his robot and flew away into the night, but not after an angry, "I'll be back, Sonic!" and a wave of his fist.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Sticks ran up to Shadow and glomped him briefly, which caught the dark hedgehog offguard. Leaving him baffled, she then turned around just as Tails slammed into her.

"I'm so glad you're okay!" Tails sighed in relief. He would have felt so guilty if he couldn't save her; it was his idea to bring her over to the robot in the first place. He indirectly put her in danger without realizing it.

He pulled away before she could react to the embrace, holding her at shoulder-length. The badger rubbed her eyes, sheepishly staring at his feet. "Yeah, well...I coulda taken 'em!"

He was grinning when she looked back up, and her own soon spread across her face.

"_Ahem_."

The two jumped slightly, turning around as Sonic walked up to them with Amy and Knuckles in tow. Knuckles wrapped his arms around the four of them and crushed his friends to his chest. Cream was the next to hug Sticks when she was free, throwing her arms around the taller girl's neck. Nearby, Silver's hug was so tight he lifted Blaze off of the ground in enthusiasm, glad she wasn't hurt.

Shadow felt someone touch his shoulder and he turned around to meet Tikal's gaze, acknowledging her with a raised brow.

"You weren't really going to hurt him, were you?" Tikal asked him, frown gracing her features.

His answer was blunt and straight to the point. "He would have hurt you otherwise."

Her breath caught in her throat.

"Not everyone is willing to _negotiate_ with you, Tikal." He turned back and began walking again. "It's about time you learned that."

Rouge watched everyone interact, envying the way Silver was holding Blaze. Even Sonic and Amy were hugging now! ( slightly swaying on the spot now that she was looking closely. ) Why couldn't Knuckie give her attention too?

She hummed. She didn't miss that hug Sticks gave Shadow; or the surprising one Tails gave Sticks out of the blue.

_Hm...interesting._

* * *

><p><strong>And there you have it! Give that review button some love if you liked it! ^^<strong>


	4. Crashing With Sonic and Tails

**Hey guys! Hope you all had a wonderful Valentine's/Single Awareness Day! Here's a late present :3**

* * *

><p>"Oh, now what do we do?" Amy groaned. "We can't stay here with a gigantic hole in the ceiling! What if Eggman comes back?"<p>

Sonic was talking before he could stop himself. "Well, why don't cha come back to the house with us?" Cue every male in the room looking at him as if he grew two heads. He clamped his hands over his mouth, wide-eyed once he realized what he just offered.

But it was too late.

"Really?" Amy mentally slapped herself for sounding so desperate and cleared her throat. "I-I mean...we wouldn't want any trouble..."

"She just wants an excuse to get into Sonic's pants..." Knuckles snickered under his breath, and Silver was wheezing from how breathless he was.

"Like _you_ wouldn't be fresh." Rouge smirked.

Knuckles went beet red. "You're batty!"

Sonic sweatdropped but flashed Amy a grin. "Mi casa es _su_ casa! How 'bout it, guys?" he addressed the group.

Everyone sounded their approval, and the girls went to grab their bags.

.

"SLEEPOVER, YAY!" Charmy yelled excitedly.

"Wh-? _How did you get in?!"_ Sonic exclaimed.

"Your door was unlocked," Espio explained.

"Hope ya don't mind, Sonic," Vector added, lounging back on the couch. Team Chaotix had apparently made themselves at home while the others were away. Espio looked uncomfortable, like he had no choice in the matter ( which was probably true ); Charmy was literally buzzing with happiness; and Vector was nonchalant, like he did this all the time and Sonic shouldn't be surprised.

"WHO'S GUARDING MY EMERALD?!" Knuckles demanded.

"Uhh..." Charmy scratched his head.

"EGGMAN IS ON THE MOVE, DAMMIT! HE CAN TAKE MY EMERALD AND IT WILL BE THE END OF US BECAUSE YOU IDIOTS DECIDED TO PUT YA DAMN FEET UP!" Knuckles snapped, smacking Vector's feet off the table. Vector bared his teeth and shot to his feet.

"Knuckles!" Tikal intervened, moving herself between the two fuming boys. "I'm sure we'll be fine for tonight. If the Emerald is endangered, then I will be able to sense it. If it is okay with Sonic and Tails, they can stay without any need for violence."

"Sonic, Tails? Is it okay if our friends stay with us?" Cream asked, smiling gently.

"There's strength in numbers," Tikal added.

Sonic and Tails exchanged glances before Sonic shrugged and Tails nodded. "Fine by us. It's been a while since we've all hung out," said Sonic.

"Hold up!" Knuckles interjected, and all eyes flickered in the echidna's direction. "How are we gonna handle these _sleeping arrangements?_ I mean, you don't exactly have a bed for _everyone_."

"Easy! You, me, and Tails sleep over here; the Chaotix sleep over there; Silver has his lil' spot; Shadow can brood in the darkness by himself over there -" red eyes glowered in his direction - "and the girls can sleep upstairs." Sonic shrugged simply, as if it was the easiest thing in the world.

"And who's sleeping where?" Rouge put a hand on her hip.

"Amy and Blaze can sleep in my room, Sticks and Cream in Tails' room, and you and Tikal take the guest room. Objections? Get it? Got it? Good!"

The girls partnered up smiled at each other and nodded, heading upstairs to put their bags there. Safe to say, Amy was excited about her sleeping arrangements.

_Heh...dodged that bullet! Score one for Sonic!_

"Ya sure ya don't wanna sleep with your _giiiiirlfriend?"_ Vector teased suggestively.

Sonic sweatdropped.

_Aaaand moment ruined_.

.

"What side of the bed do you want to sleep on, Amy?" Blaze asked as they walked into the blue hero's room. To no one's surprise, the color scheme were different shades of blue, and was a little bit on the messy side. On the bedside table was a picture frame, containing a group shot of Team Sonic. It was a recent one, Amy could tell; Knuckles and Sonic had their eyes downcast, Sonic's closed, wide grins on their faces. Tails, the shortest out of the three, was looking up instead of down, laughing as Sonic ruffled his head.

Amy smiled softly; she remembered when they were all young and reckless. She was so scared back then when it came to fighting bad guys. But she eventually found her own path, following where the wind took her. Now she was a leader of her_ own_ team, doing her _own_ thing. She had her _own_ style of fighting, training herself to be the _best_ she could be, and_ refused_ to be left behind.

"I'll take this one," she said without looking away from the photo.

.

"Sticks?"

"Yeah?"

The rabbit left the badger bewildered yet again when she threw her arms around her in a friendly embrace. Awkwardly patting her back, Sticks wondered if she hugged the others just as much.

"Thanks again for saving me. And Tails of course." Cream smiled up at her.

"How many times are you gonna thank me? Jeez..." Sticks shook her head.

Cream's smile fell. "Sorry..."

Sticks mentally put her foot in her mouth; it wouldn't be appropriate for her to do that physically right now. "I-I didn't mean it like that. It's just, well...it was more of an instinct thing. I wasn't thinking. I just wanted you and Tails to be safe, yanno?"

The smile was back, understanding. "Oh!"

"Let's go downstairs," Sticks suggested, leading the way out of Tails' room. "I wanna ask that Espio guy about his star thinga-ma-hoozits."

.

"What's wrong, Rouge? You've been cursing under your breath since we left Amy's house," said Tikal, setting her belongings down neatly.

Rouge huffed. "It's that _wild child_. She doesn't make any _sense_."

"Perhaps you misunderstand her?"

The ivory bat folded her arms across her chest, looking skeptical.

Tikal hummed. "You're taking this a tad too far, don't you think?"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Sticks feels forced. Not everyone has to pursue a love interest. You can't _make_ her fall in love with someone." Tikal clasped her hands in front of her waist. "It has to happen _naturally_."

"Oh please. Everyone needs a little..._push_." Rouge smirked. "And that's what I'm gonna give her."

"Oh dear..." _There just wasn't getting to her, was there?_ Tikal thought.

"You see, Tikal, in modern day - when a man and a woman meet, there's instant attraction," Rouge explained, circling around to the echidna.

Tikal immediately thought of the bat's rocky relationship with Knuckles. "Or repulsion..."

"What was that?"

"Nothing!"

Rouge squinted, but went on. "Sticks likes one of those boys down there. Possibly two. Who knows? I'm going to find out which one - and when I do -"

"You'll what?"

"I'll...I'll...I'll do something, alright?"

Tikal giggled.

"Speaking of..." Rouge came closer. This was the part when Tikal got nervous. She didn't like the way Rouge was looking at her now. "I know where your feelings lie when it comes to a certain_ hedgehog_ I know..." the bat artfully examined her nails.

Tikal shifted her weight from one foot to the other, giving the other girl an innocent look. "You know more than one hedgehog."

The smirk widened on the latter's part. "Smart girl."

.

"I say we continue this lil' game of _Dare,_" Knuckles rubbed his hands together.

"Dare? We're _so_ in!" Charmy perked up.

"You _would_ include us," Espio muttered under his breath.

"Who's turn was it again?" said Tails.

"Anybody? No? Alright, SONIC."

Sonic sighed, putting his hands on his hips. "That wasn't obvious,_ Knucklehead_. What's my dare?"

The sound of footsteps coming down the stairs had Knuckles think quickly before a smug grin spread across his face. "I dare you toooo...hug the girl you think is the _prettiest_."

Sonic and the boys turned as the chatting females entered the room. His gaze skimmed over each and every one until he saw pink, feeling himself smirk before he could stop it, and casually walked over with confidence and swagger in his step. He silently hoped that he wouldn't have to make his goal _extremely_ obvious, and luckily for him, the girls disbanded to do their own thing.

"Hey, Amy."

"Hey, Son -" Amy started, but her sentence soon broke off into a cute little squeal as he scooped her up into his arms and twirled her around.

"You guys all set?" He grinned down at her as he released her.

"Uh, yeah!" Amy, still flushed from his unexpected hug, brushed a quill back. "All set. Thanks again for letting us stay."

"Eh, don't mention it. You know I always got your back." He nudged her.

Amy giggled.

Sonic turned around and gave Knuckles a winning smile, much to the other's annoyance. _Too easy. What else ya got for me, Knux?_

"Hello!" Cream waved as she walked over to her three friends.

"Hi!" Charmy waved back.

"How are you?" Espio asked.

"HOW'S YOUR MOM?"

Cream, Charmy, and Espio slowly looked over at Vector, who sat back awkwardly and folded his fingers together.

"I-I mean, uh..."

"Mom's well. We're both well," Cream answered both questions. "It's so good to see you all! We don't hang out enough."

"Well, you're always welcome to come by to visit! It's soooo boring." Charmy offered with a pout.

"Hm...maybe I can come by someday and bake a cake?"

"Sounds great! Can I help? I won't get in the way, I promise."

Espio and Vector exchanged glances.

"Sure! Why would you think you'd be in the way?"

Charmy's face fell slightly. "'Cause...sometimes, I..." He shook his head rapidly, shaking his head rapidly in hopes to shake off the negativity. "Never mind. It's nothin'." She looked like she wanted to ask further but decided to ask another time, petting the top of his head gently. The bee smiled softly; maybe he might tell her later.

As she walked away, Vector snorted. "Can you be more _obvious_, Charmy?"

"Huh?!" Charmy's eyes bulged out.

"You're the one to talk." Espio smirked in Vector's direction.

And that's when the badger, Sticks, walked up to them.

"Espio, right?" she said.

He nodded. "Yes...?"

The feral girl grinned. "Boy do I have a question for _you_."

.

"_Espio?_ Really?!"

Amy sighed heavily. "No, Rouge."

"Pinky, are you blind? Obviously, she -"

"Will you just knock it off?! Sticks doesn't like anybody!"

"That's what she _says_ -"

"_They're just having a normal conversation!_"

"Rouge," Tikal tried again patiently. "You can't just -"

"Quiet, Peaches. They're still - oh._ O H_."

"_What. Now._" Amy was _this_ close to punching her friend in the mouth.

"She's walking over to Fox Boy."

"What's wrong with that?" Cream piped up this time, clearly confused.

"Rouge is a fangirl, just like the rest of them." Blaze shook her head. "Always trying to make something out of_ nothing_."

Amy glared at her.

Blaze giggled nervously. "Sorry, Amy."

.

"Hey."

"Hey, Sticks. What's goin' on?"

"We're still up for going to the Square Station tomorrow, right?"

Tails chuckled. "Do you mean_ Station Square_?"

"...Same thing. Squares are squares."

"Sticks, Station Square isn't actually a - never mind. What time do you wanna go?"

"Does it matter?"

"Yeah. At certain times of the day, it can get really crowded." The badger's face now bore a mask of unease. "Don't worry, we'll be together the whole time. And I know how much you don't like crowded places, so..."

Sticks sighed in relief.

"If it makes ya feel any better, we can get the gang to come along too! That way there'll be more familiar faces. If not, that's cool."

She shrugged. "I guess that's okay."

"Awesome."

"Yeeeeah...Rougeisn'tcomingisshe."

He laughed. "Not if ya don't want her to."

She grinned. "You're a _lifesaver_. Oh and also -?"

"Yeah?"

"I sometimes fight in my sleep, so I'm probably gonna use your bed as a scratching post. Kay, thanks!"

"WHAT?! STICKS, WAIT!"

* * *

><p><strong>Ya'll know what to do with that review button. SURFBOARD.<strong>

**I also take requests into account! So if you wanna see a ship do a certain thing, or more of that ship in general in this fic, let me know. It just might happen! ^^**


	5. Truth or Dare, Anyone?

**Wassap guys? Jazzy is back with the next chapter! I appreciate every single one of you who reviewed in the last chapter and told me what you guys wanted to see! It tells me that you guys are psyched to see where this story is gonna go, and it really means a lot to me.**

**But enough of the mushiness! There's already a lot in this chapter! XD Enjoy!**

* * *

><p>"And that's when I said, let's crack this egg wide open!"<p>

The whole gang laughed, excluding a certain hedgehog in the room, as Sonic wrapped up his tale; the large group were all spread around comfortably, sharing stories that have yet to be revealed and other small talk; one person ended a conversation, someone else was quick to start up another. It wasn't quiet for long between the beats of silence.

Sticks could definitely get used to this. Maybe having more friends in the outside world...wasn't so bad! Everyone's personalities contrasted in the most unique, perfect way, and she couldn't believe she was a part of it. She sat sandwiched between Knuckles and Tails, Sonic and Amy next to them. She was more observant than anything else; noticing she was being quieter than usual, Knuckles flashed her a grin and wrapped his arm around her. Grinning, Sticks leaned into him; out of the others, Knuckles understood her when it came to living by oneself. In nature. The only difference was, Knuckles didn't go _crazy_. And Sticks wasn't crazy. But she was kinda...nutty.

She felt Rouge's sharp eyes on their display of affection and sensed the envy, the jealousy emitting off of the bat; it made her reek, throwing her scent off. The lighter, happier emotions radiating off of everyone smelled _so nice_, and Sticks was able to push the bat's stench to the back of her head. She had nothing against the spy, but at the moment she couldn't find herself to care much. Knuckles was comfy, like a sweater, and she curled herself a bit.

From what she's learned, her friends could be really affectionate when they wanted to be. But what confused her was that most of the time, they were most comfortable with the people they..._didn't_ 'like'? Cream, being the smallest of the group, would be in Sonic's lap for a good portion of the conversation. Amy was entirely comfortable with it-Sticks assumed that this was a habit, and Cream was practically everyone's little sister. She could see why. Tikal was with the Chaotix, her head in Vector's lap, legs draped over Espio's, and Charmy was smiling down at her face. Sticks could vaguely remember Amy being that way with Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles on lazy days.

She looked over to the right and saw Silver and Blaze, playfully nudging each other as they had a playful banter about "who beat who better in that one match against what's-his-face-from-the-future". She couldn't remember the name. But she could sense the emotions they were feeling towards each other; Sticks was no love expert, but she was pretty sure if they were in heat, they would totally go to each other and let nature run its course.

They were close, weren't they? Maybe that's what Sticks should look out for. Someone who she considered her best friend. That was a guy.

_But Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles are the closest I have._

_...This is awkward._

Rouge was already gonna kill her for this probably; Sticks didn't know where Cream's feelings lie with Tails; Sonic was out of the question. The bat already thought she had the hots for that Shadow guy, but she wasn't sure about him either.

_And Tikal's crush was a mystery_...

Amy looked over at a bored Shadow and let her head fall on his shoulder, flashing him a cute grin. To Sticks' surprise, Shadow took one look at her and - was he _smiling_? Sticks' gaze immediately flickered to Sonic. He looked once, then twice, and she could sense the same emotion that was emitting off of Rouge. Sending her further into shock, she could sense a similar, more subtle feeling coming from..._Tikal_?

Knowing Sonic, he couldn't mask his jealousy well, even if he carried on the conversation without stopping. There was obvious discomfort, and Sticks felt kinda bad for the blue hedgehog. _Huh. Maybe he likes her more than I thought_.

"Hey, Knuckles," she poked him, voice quiet. Even Tails was leaning in slightly to hear. "Why's Amy all over Shadow?"

"Beats me," Knuckles shrugged. "Who knows? Maybe she's trying to make Sonic jealous." He snickered. "It's working."

"I agree, but Amy's not _that_ evil either," said Tails. "She doesn't want anybody to feel left out, especially Shadow. She's the only one who can make Shadow smile on a daily basis."

"The _only_ one?"

"As far as we know. It takes us forever to get him to crack one_ little_ smile!"

"Evil grins don't count, do they?" Knuckles said.

Tails shook his head and chuckled. "'Fraid not."

Sticks hummed. _For someone as lonely as that guy, it's hard to tell what he really feels. I'm glad he has Amy too. Actually...if it weren't for Amy...would all of us even be sitting together right now?_

"Hey! Why don't we continue Dare?" Silver spoke up to the group. Everyone agreed and scooted closer in.

"It was Sonic's turn last time."

"I wonder who's fault _that_ was." Sonic stared pointedly at the muscular echidna. Blaze left the circle, returning with a bottle, and gave it to the blue speedster. "Alright, alright...here we go!" And he spun it.

The bottle landed on Silver.

"Ya ready, Silver?" Sonic grinned at his friend.

"Come at me, bro." Silver smiled back.

"Okay...I dare you to..." Sonic hummed in thought. "Lift as many people in this room as you can with your powers!"

"_Easy, peasy_." Silver cracked his knuckles, standing to his feet. He focused his energy, closing his eyes briefly as he let his power build up. His mind expand as he thought of the people he was going to pick up.

Starting with Blaze, he swiftly turned with glowing hands; her body was then encased with his power, slowly levitating into the air. His golden eyes found hers, giving her a, 'You okay?' look. She nodded, and he smiled before moving on to the next. This time, his target was the rosy hedgehog herself. Just as easily, with slightly more effort, Amy was also lifted into the air; her green eyes shone with fascination.

Now this is when it got slightly difficult, but nothing he couldn't handle. Grunting, he opened his former closed eyes opened, gaze flitting in Tikal's direction.

"O-Oh!" Tikal smiled bashfully, feeling herself being lifted into the air as well. "I feel like...like I'm floating on a cloud."

Cream and Rouge were the next to be flying up, and this is when Sticks got nervous. When her gaze met Silver's, he asked, "Do you want me to pick you up, Sticks?"

"Uhhh..." Sticks looked around at her four best friends for approval. Amy, Sonic, and Knuckles gave her encouraging nods, and Tails flashed her a supportive grin. Sighing, she turned back to Silver and nodded.

When she felt her body shift, she started to panic, but she told herself that this was only Silver, her friend, and he wasn't going to hurt her intentionally. She always wanted to fly, and she was envious of Tails and Knuckles' ability to fly and glide.

To her surprise, Silver was now not only lifting up the girls, but the rest of the guys as well; he was obviously straining to keep them all afloat, and his power glitched around her and the others. Only when he was about to pick up Vector did he gasp and his legs gave out, falling to his knees. Gone was his power, and the gang fell to the floor, some lighter than others. No one got seriously hurt, but a couple landed the wrong way on their kneecaps. Sticks had the smoothest landing, now in a perch on all fours, examining her friends.

Sonic's arms shot out instinctively just as Amy fell into them, she accidentally knocking the wind out of him from her sloppy landing. "Oof!"

Meanwhile, it took Amy longer to realize that it wasn't _the floor_ her back was against, and the arms around her were to _protect_ her from the fall.

"Sonic...?" she tested, her heart ready to burst.

"_Mmphh_."

Amy gasped, scrambling out of his arms, pink in the face. "Oh no! I'm crushing you!" She turned around to face him, hands flying to his flushed face. "Are you okay? Did I hurt you?"

"U-Uhh..." All Sonic could do for the moment was stare stupidly up at her, gazing into her jade green eyes. Catching himself, he cleared his throat and nodded maybe a little too fast, hands on her shoulders to push her back so he could sit up. "Yeah, I'm fine, Ames. No worries."

She frowned but sat back on her knees. The presence of it didn't last long, however. "Thanks for catching me."

He winked at her and shifted, facing the group. "Everybody okay?"

"We're good!" Tails gave him a thumbs up, taking Sticks' outstretched hand to help himself up. Knuckles brushed his shoulders off.

"That was amazing, Silver." Blaze put her hand on his shoulder, giving him a soft squeeze. "But are you okay?"

"Yeah, no sweat!" Silver, breathing a little heavier than normal, gave her his best smile. "Sorry, Vector," he addressed the crocodile, "but you're heavy as hell."

"No kidding," Knuckles snickered, and Vector glared at him.

"Alright, _look_ -"

"Hey, Silver, it's your turn to spin!" said Charmy.

"Right!" said Silver.

The futuristic hedgehog took the bottle and spun it around.

It landed on Shadow.

The dark hedgehog sighed, staring across the circle at his ally blankly.

"Okay, Shadow! I dare you to..." Silver rubbed his chin. "Kiss Sonic!"

"_Pass_," both Shadow and Sonic said, gazes darkening, and everyone snickered.

"Be _reasonable_, Silver." Blaze shook her head.

"Okay, okay, I was just kiddin'. No need to look at me...like you're...about to...kill me...Okay! Shadow, for real this time, I dare you to..." Silver looked around the circle for an idea...and found none. "Take off your inhibitor rings for the rest of the game."

Shadow took them off, facial expression unchanging, and handed them to the person sitting on his left. Tikal looked at the treasured rings, then back up at his face as she took them and, for safekeeping, slipped them onto her wrists.

This time, when Shadow spun it, the bottle landed on Sticks.

"Oh gosh. Okay. Just breathe. Relax," Sticks told herself.

Amy leaned over to Shadow, patting him on his arm. "Be easy on her, okay?"

Shadow nodded curtly.

"Truth or Dare?" he said.

Sticks gulped. _What should I pick? If I pick truth, everyone's gonna think I'm boring! If I pick dare...what would he have me do?_ The last time she said truth, she was interrogated; but then again this wasn't Rouge. Deciding to put her faith in...a shadow...she stuttered, "T-Truth!"

Shadow stared at her for a long beat before the question drawled lazily over his tongue; obviously he didn't want to participate. "Is it true that you're afraid of shadows?"

Was this...a trick question? A pun, hence his name was _Shadow_? Was he actually asking her if she feared _him_?

"Yeah, but I'm kinda paranoid anyway," she told him honestly; her answer seemed to be good enough for him, and thank goodness he didn't pry. Now that it was her turn, she silently hoped that it won't land on Rouge (for obvious reasons), she spun the bottle.

It landed on Sonic. She grinned.

"Truth or Dare?"

"_Dare_," he said automatically. Typical.

"I dare you to kiss Amy," Sticks said, and gasps went around the room. At that moment, Sonic went pink in the face, obviously panicked, and Amy's heart started to race.

This wasn't the first time he's dared to do something bizarre like this, and every time he turned it down. But Sonic was looking at anything but a pair of eyes, gaze downcast, shadow across his face. The pink hedgehog next to him covered her disappointment with a little smile, but she wasn't doing it very well.

"Sticks...why don't you ask him another dare?" Amy suggested, her voice giving herself away. "He doesn't have to do anything he doesn't wa-_mmn_!"

Without looking at her, Sonic had grabbed her face in his hands and pulled her close to him; taking a deep breath and swallowing his pride, the blue hedgehog lifted his face and latched his lips onto hers.

* * *

><p><strong>Oh ho hoooo! Sonamy gettin' some smoochin'! It was bound to happen sooner or later ;D Those of you who wanted more Silvaze, I put more in this chapter, but there will be more moments between them in the next!<strong>

**As for the state of Sticks...**

*** Some of you wanted to see more Shadicks.**

*** Some of you wanted to see more Stails.**

**Do I know which is going to be endgame in this fic? Possibly. It may be Shadicks. It may be Stails. It may be _neither_.**

**Wanna know why? Click that review button and tell me your theories! Also, lemme know your thoughts on the chapter!**


End file.
